Summer is still in full swing, and we need delicious, quick, and fun recipe ideas to get us through the warm evenings. We chose American ground lamb to make this incredibly flavorful dish. My kids gobble up the hummus and ground meat tucked into the warm tortillas. This dish makes a lovely appetizer for parties and small gatherings or a flavorful dinner for the family. Adding American lamb to your diet provides essential nutrients and vitamins as well as major adventure points for cooking outside the box! Comment below with your favorite way to enjoy lamb in the summer!

To prepare the lamb, brown lamb and onions on medium-high heat in olive oil. After 2-3 minutes, add spices, tomato paste, and salt and pepper. Continue cooking 3-4 minutes until lamb is completely cooked but still moist and tender.

To prepare the tortillas, mix flour, soft butter, salt, and baking powder together, making sure to coat all the flour grains in the butter. Add hot water and knead inside the bowl until the dough pulls away and forms a ball. Continue to knead until the dough is soft and tender. Divide dough into 8 or 16 pieces and cover with a towel. Allow to rest for no less than 30 minutes. Heat a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat. Roll each tortilla out to at least a 6-inch circle. If you are making 8, then roll the tortillas out to 8- or 10-inch circles. Cook in the dry hot skillet for 2-3 minutes, then flip once browning occurs. Repeat this process for all tortillas.

Put all hummus ingredients into your food processor and whirl on high 3-4 minutes until everything is thickened and perfectly smooth. Stores in the fridge 3-4 days.

Time to serve! Spoon the hummus onto a large platter, then spoon the lamb over hummus. Make sure to include any oil and drippings from the meat pan. Top with cucumber, scallions, mint, toasted pine nuts and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with the homemade tortillas or flatbread.

Grilling season is a year-round affair for our family, but it really ramps up in May when the days begin to get longer. We use a wood pellet grill/smoker, but gas grills work perfectly for this recipe as well. Leg of lamb is my favorite cut. It isn’t just for holiday roasts; it’s perfect for smoking, grilling, and feeding a crowd for those summer backyard BBQ’s! You can do just about anything with it. Leg of lamb is one of the leanest and most versatile cuts. It can be grilled whole, like I did for this recipe, or cubed for kabobs.

In a world of endless variety, don’t be intimidated by lamb. It has an adventurous flavor and is just as easy to grill as other premium meats. Plus, when you choose American Lamb, you support local family farmers and ranchers throughout the U.S. American Lamb is up to 10,000 miles fresher than imported lamb, so be sure to ask your butcher where they source their lamb from.

This recipe is quickly prepared and such a crowd pleaser. Kids love it, too. The overnight marinade in yogurt tenderizes and softens the flavor of the lamb. A quick trip across the BBQ grill, and it’s dinner time!

Prep the lamb by removing any butcher’s twine and slicing through the thickest parts of the leg to make one uniform cut. You can ask your butcher to do this for you if you’d like. The night before you plan to grill, combine lamb, yogurt, garlic, chili flakes and pepper in a gallon-sized freezer bag. We don’t salt the lamb until it’s time to grill. Marinate the lamb in the refrigerator overnight. When it’s time to grill, heat your grill/smoker to 350°F. Place the lamb in the center rack and season with salt. Depending on the thickness of your cut, grill 7-9 minutes per side for medium. Once you flip the meat, add asparagus to the grill and cook alongside the meat while it finishes. Remove meat and asparagus at the same time. Dress asparagus with pesto and season with salt after cooking.

While the lamb cooks, prepare your sauces.

In the work bowl of your food processor, combine all herbed yogurt ingredients and pulse until chopped and smooth. Spoon yogurt into a dish. Give the mixer a quick rinse and prepare the pesto in the same way. Place all ingredients into the food processor, pulse several times, and taste for seasoning. These sauces can be done in advance, but they get better as time goes on. Both sauces last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. To serve, slice the lamb against the grain and serve with sauce and asparagus.

* Depending on how many people you are feeding, you can purchase a whole boneless leg of lamb (5-7 pounds) or a smaller portion of the leg that has already been butterflied (2-3 pounds).

Quick, easy, and flavorful: this is my desire when making dinner these days. We have a very busy family life so every so often Mike and I find ourselves making an extra special dinner for an at-home date night! Babysitters seem to be scarce for us these days, but it’s so important to stop and relax and enjoy food we both love! Our littles go down for bed around 7:30, and then date night begins. Mike and I enjoy cooking together. Well, I cook and he brings the conversation! Nothing better than a glass of wine and your best friend. This spicy rack of lamb is truly special. The clever use of spicy, homemade buffalo-style sauce is absolutely delicious with the American lamb, and the crunchy celery & blue cheese salad cools it off just right! If you have kiddos and a full schedule but desire a special meal, you’ve got to try roasting a rack of American lamb. The meat is tender and mild, and your hot oven and simple marinade do all the heavy lifting. Fifteen minutes till dinner? I can get on board with that. Don’t forget, it’s Lamb Lover’s Month, so pick up some beautiful American lamb next time you are at the grocery store, and give this recipe a go! And for all you romantics out there, hurry and enter the Lamb Lover’s Month “Date Night of Your Dreams” contest, going on now RIGHT HERE!

Serves 2-4

2 lbs. or 2 4-5 bone loin chop racks of American lambSalt and pepper to taste

Allow lamb chops to come to room temperature, roughly 1 hour on the counter. Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment. Season lamb on both sides with salt and pepper, and place on the baking sheet. Mix melted butter, garlic, pepper, parsley, and hot sauce. Spoon half the prepared buffalo sauce over the lamb chops and roast at 475° for 12-16 minutes*. For the final 2 minutes of cooking, switch your oven setting over to broil to crisp the top of the lamb. This will yield a medium rare lamb. Allow lamb to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing. While the lamb is resting, assemble the salad.

*If chops are on the smaller side, roast 12 minutes plus 2 minutes under the broiler.